One day after the crash of a Malaysian jetliner carrying 298 people in eastern Ukraine, here’s what is known and what has been claimed:

THE CAUSE

U.S. officials and an adviser to Ukraine’s interior minister have said a surface-to-air missile brought down Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 as it flew Thursday from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur. All 298 people aboard died. U.S. Ambassador Samantha Power told the U.N. Security Council in New York on Friday the missile was likely fired from a rebel-held area near the Russian border. Independent aviation experts have agreed a missile was the likely cause, but so far, there’s no proof. Ukraine’s government, the pro-Russia rebels who oppose it and Russia have all denied shooting down the passenger plane.

THE ‘BLACK BOXES’

The whereabouts of the plane’s flight data recorder and cockpit voice recorder remained unknown Friday. Russia’s foreign minister said his country had no intention of acquiring them and that they should be given to international aviation organizations. Some experts in air accident investigations said the boxes’ contents could be key to establishing what happened to the Boeing 777 in the moments before it crashed.

THE INVESTIGATION

According to international civil aviation regulations, Ukraine should take the lead in investigating an air crash on its territory. Ukraine has called for an international probe. But access to the site in rebel-held lands 25 miles from the Russian border remained difficult and dangerous Friday. It was still uncertain whether the rebels would allow Ukrainian government officials to pass through their checkpoints.

– The Associated Press

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